A World Without Sasuke
by Ouha-chan
Summary: SasuSaku. People have wondered what it would be like without Sasuke. The answer to that question is contained within what would the world really be like without him? Complete & Revised.


_**A World Without Sasuke...** People have wondered what it would be like without Sasuke -- the answer to that question is contained within; what would the world really be like without him? Sasuke+Sakura. _

**Note: **Before I say anything else, I want to remind everyone that this is for pure comedic purposes, it was not to insult the characters, it was to make fun of humorous Alternate Universe versions.

---------- **A World Without Sasuke** ----------

Sasuke frowned as he sat out in a forest near to Orochimaru's Hideout, his obsidian eyes turning from the trees around to the grass at his feet. He had wondered on some occasions if he had truly done the right thing to leave Konoha; maybe seeking out Orochimaru hadn't been the greatest way to find the power he needed.

However, what other choice did he have?

Regardless, he had to kill Itachi -- he had to avenge his fallen clan. It didn't matter, he had vowed long ago that he would do whatever was necessary to achieve the revenge he sought.

Revenge.

That brought him to something else entirely; had Itachi just killed him when he slaughtered the Uchiha clan, he wouldn't be seeking revenge at all would he? There wouldn't be anyone left to do such a thing. And that was something that puzzled the young Uchiha.

What would the world have been like without him?

"Everyone would have probably been better off had Itachi just killed me back then..." he muttered wryly, triggering the sound of footsteps behind him; he raised his head and threw a glance back over his shoulder in time to see an elderly man with a long cane, his snow white beard reaching nearly to his knees. He was dressed in flowing blue robes and one would think by that knowing look on his face that he was probably very sagely and wise...

"Uchiha Sasuke," the old man greeted. Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Hn. How do you know my name?" he bit back sharply. The old man shook his head slightly before waving his cane once. Sasuke blinked in surprise as in a magical poof, a twinkling glass ball appeared. It was indeed impressive the way it floated there before the old man; the funny thing was that, in Sasuke's opinion, it didn't seem that he had used chakra to create this Crystal Ball.

The old man opened his seemingly tired eyes to see the young man staring up at him in odd interest. He coughed to clear his throat, before waving his cane again. Sasuke squinted his eyes as the area was flooded with a brilliant light that poured out of the Glass Ball itself. However, when Sasuke reopened his eyes, he was greeted with the sight of what looked like the top of a clock tower. He looked down around himself, surprised that the imaginary building was sitting right in the middle of Konoha itself. Sasuke gasped slightly as he scanned his eyes around the area in confusion.

"Back in... in Konoha? This is... impossible. I was just in the forest..." he murmured in disbelief. The old man walked up beside him, before indicating toward the Crystal Ball.

"Fear not, my boy, I have merely taken you into my realm -- the Realm of Time." the sage spoke. Sasuke frowned once again as he turned his eyes to the glass ball as instructed.

"Who are you, and what is the meaning of this?" he inquired a bit more vehemently than necessary. The old man just chuckled slightly at his attitude.

"I am Father Time," he replied with a smile. Sasuke's expression calmed and he once again focused his obsidian eyes on the old man's face. "I have brought you here for a very specific reason, young Sasuke."

"What?"

Father Time turned to the Crystal Ball and closed his eyes. "You asked the question: what would be of the world, without you? So, I have brought you here to show you the answer."

"Wh--"

"Stare deep into this Crystal Ball, and you shall see... the truth, with your own eyes."

-----

"Let's hear your names, likes, dislikes, and dreams." Kakashi said, looking at each of his three possible students. Uzumaki Naruto(who seemed completely normal so far), Haruno Sakura(who had a rather bored look on her face and was chewing gum), and a third child -- a more... unique child.

After Naruto had given his, and Sakura gave hers(which was to be a great kunoichi, and to eventually be even better than her idol Anko). It was time for the last one.

"Bakachi Goegoe!" Goegoe exclaimed, jumping up to a standing position and flashing a peace sign. He frowned in mock seriousness, his hot pink eyes twinkling in the morning sun; he had an orange afro and he was wearing bright yellow spandex that flared out at the ankles with a pink cape on his back, and a funky lime green color were the boxers he wore on over his spandex. Kakashi looked up at him in near annoyance.

"My dream is to protect the fine people of Konoha from all evil-doers!" he called in a deep, semi-dramatic tone that caused his teammates to roll their eyes. "I like the smiling faces of happy children, and I dislike the concept of battle; I believe that things should always be resolved peacefully! This is because my goal is to become the greatest Super Hero ever!"

-----

This did not bode well. Over in the Realm of Time, Sasuke rolled his ebony eyes. This was to be his replacement? This bumbling oaf? This complete idiot? This was the third member of Team 7, to take his place? He gritted his teeth. He couldn't stand for this, would that be the one that Naruto found a rival in? Would that be the one that Sakura...

For some reason, he was getting angry. Hadn't he said that nothing mattered, so long as he got his revenge? Why was this affecting him so? He breathed a sigh to let out his frustration; he couldn't let it get to him so badly. So, he turned his eyes to the Crystal Ball again to continue watching...

-----

Flash forward a couple of months; all of the Genin were gathered around to hear the rules and regulations of the third part of the Chuunin Selection Exam. It was amazing that any of them had made it this far, especially Team 7 -- it had been a complete fluke when they had passed Kakashi's test(Kakashi had been so depressed, he gave Naruto and Sakura the bells simply so he could have the satisfaction of tying Goegoe to a log). It had been even more miraculous when Goegoe had tripped himself by accident, taking down Zabuza and Haku with him. The most amazing event had been Team 7's emergence from the Forest of Death(with Goegoe constantly giving away their whereabouts, it was surprising that they had received the scroll necessary; they were just lucky that Goegoe had given a speech so terribly boring that it put the opposing team to deep, deep sleep). But now, now it was much, much worse...

Kakashi sat in a corner, looking depressed; he looked almost like he was considering suicide. There was no goofy look on his face, there was no Icha Icha in his hand, and there was no... air of Kakashi anywhere around the almost unfamiliar Hatake.

**_(Sasuke: "Kakashi-sensei, what's gotten into you?")_**

Then, Naruto. Naruto had nearly been killed in the Forest of Death; partially because of his lack of inspiration. After all, he didn't have to strive very hard to be better than Goegoe(the self proclaimed Super Hero didn't make a very worthy rival, to say the least).

**_(Sasuke: "Naruto, You stupid Dobe!")_**

Sakura was standing with her arms folded, a piece of gum in her mouth as usual these days; she seemed to be eagerly awaiting the fights -- she _was_ the most capable fighter of Team 7 after all.

**_(Sasuke: "Could Sakura be... better off without me?")_**

The one an only Hyuuga Neji was watching with a maniacal grin on his face. Occasionally, he would break into psychotic laughter(he, too, had been driven insane by Goegoe upon the first encounter). He was looking for a worthy challenge in this Chuunin Exam, and it seemed there was none; hence, he had gone bonkers when Goegoe's speech had convinced him that Goegoe himself was the strongest Genin there. He wasn't sure why he believed it, but the fact that Goegoe was apparently the most capable fighter other than himself had really affected him...

**_(Sasuke: "The Hyuuga? No way, this is just wrong...")_**

Tenten was attending to her make-up, lining her lips with a tube of lipstick. She was dressed in a very ladylike outfit, with eye shadow and fingernail polish to match her lips; in front of her face, she held a mirror. She always carried a mirror, after all -- that way, no matter where she was, she could look at her gorgeous face and admire its unfathomable beauty...

**_(Sasuke: "I thought that Tenten girl was a tomboy...")_**

Rock Lee was sitting off to the side, popping potato chip after potato chip into his mouth; he was getting a little bottom heavy actually. And, other than that, he had abandoned the adoration of his beloved Gai-sensei, and was more concerned with the genuine concept of delectable food than training...

**_(Sasuke: "Lee... beat me, and now he's stuffing his face?")_**

Shikamaru was the enthusiastic one. He was waiting more eagerly than even Sakura for the fights to begin; after all, he was the most ambitious Genin present. He smiled as he waited for it to begin -- he just couldn't wait to prove his unmatched fighting skills against tough opponents!

**_(Sasuke: "What the hell? Shikamaru's better off too...")_**

Ino was sulking by Shikamaru and Chouji, a frown present on her face. She lazily raised her head to listen to what the Sandaime had to say, silently wishing she were outside so that she could stare up at those pretty, fluffy, white clouds and admire their undeniable beauty...

**_(Sasuke: "Blech... This is just pathetic.")_**

Chouji was waiting attentively beside Shikamaru and Ino. He had lost a lot of weight(giving his potato chips to Rock Lee), and he had decided to give it his all. He had made it his life's goal to master the ancient arts of Taijutsu after all.

**_(Sasuke: "Fatso's better off, even.")_**

Gaara was wandering around, shaking hands with everyone and trying his best to make friends; he was a regular nice guy. With a big grin on his face, he made his way around the room; he had joined in this big exam thingy for the purpose of meeting interesting people, and these people were really cool!

**_(Sasuke: "You gay friggin' fairy...")_**

Temari was sighing and wondering when this whole event would be over; she, after all, was hoping to get over to the mall and do some serious shopping this evening! After that, she was intending on hitting the Ichiraku Ramen and checking to see if there were any cute guys(or girls) around that she might get a date with...

**_(Sasuke: "Don't really care about you.")_**

Kankuro stood between Gaara and Temari, counting the tiles on the floor; he wanted to get out of here himself. He had made it his goal for the day to pick up a date; it was common knowledge that he was a regular lady's man. He spent at least twelve hours of every day trying to pick up girls...

**_(Sasuke: "... or you, either.")_**

And then there was Kiba, Hinata, and Shino. They were pretty much normal, aside from being aloof from the others. They were over in their own corner, discussing battle strategies and the like...

The world had gone to hell.

-----

Sasuke looked down, his eyes narrowed; he hadn't expected things to be quite so bad -- did he really play such a big part in everything? Was he really so vital? Then what had happened in the years he had been gone? Speaking of which, Itachi had been what caused him to think about this in the first place -- what of him?

"Hey, grandpa," he spoke curtly, drawing the old man's attention. "What about my brother? Where's my brother?"

Father Time sighed before shaking his head slightly. "Uchiha Itachi -- the poor boy, he's perhaps the worst off of them all. He's totally lost his mind; he fashioned a diaper out of poison ivy -- where's the thing on his head like a damn tiara... Calls his self _King Itchy_..."

Sasuke's jaw dropped in disbelief. It couldn't be...

Seeing Sasuke's skepticism, the old sage of time waved his cane again. "Very well, observe."

Sasuke's eyes were greeted with the sight of his brother on the Crystal Ball. He was indeed wearing a diaper made of poison ivy atop his head, and not a stitch of _anything_ else... Sasuke frowned in disapproval as Kisame ran up behind Itachi on the mystical globe, wearing nothing but a pair of soggy polk dotted underpants on his head and a fluffy white towel tied around his neck like a cape.

(_Kisame: "Wait up, Ita-- Itchy-chan! Your humble side kick **Squire Squishy** follows!"_)

Sasuke closed his eyes. Such an embarrassment; his brother was indeed the worst off of them all. And to think that it all revolved around the absence of himself. How could this all be true?

Sighing in dread, Father Time indicated toward his Crystal Ball a final time. "There is one more thing you need to see, my boy..."

-----

"Hey, Sakura, wait up!" Goegoe called as he ran up behind his pink haired teammate. Sakura turned around, throwing an irritated glance at him.

"What do you want, Goegoe?"

Goegoe flashed his infamous peace sign, before winking. "How about you and me get some dinner at the Ichiraku Ramen this fine evening, my fair lady friend?" he asked. Sakura narrowed her eyes into a glare.

**_(Sasuke gritted his teeth. "You stupid baka, get away from her!")_**

"I've told you several times, I'm not interested," she responded. Goegoe stepped closer, still persisting.

"Please, grant me just one night on the town?" he begged. Sakura practically growled warningly when he approached closer. "I will show you the life of a Super Hero such as myself!"

Sakura's frown deepened and she stepped further away to create more distance between herself and her stalker. "No, I'm going home. Go bother Naruto, or I'll tell Kakashi-sensei that you're harassing me again!" she warned. Goegoe feigned tears.

"Your cold, cold words break my heart..."

"Then take your broken heart to someone who cares."

"Oh, Sakura-chan..."

Sakura huffed, before turning on her heel and marching off. Goegoe frowned slightly. He would get Sakura one of these days, that would be his goal as a Super Hero!

-----

Having felt some satisfaction in that Sakura blew off that Goegoe idiot, Sasuke still felt a bit of anger towards the buffoon. He liked Sakura? That made things all the worse; and this angry, mean Sakura... She was nothing like the kind kunoichi that he had personally known. She may have been a better fighter, but Sasuke was pretty sure she hadn't ended up so well off after all...

He turned away and waved his hand dismissively. Father Time quirked an eyebrow. "I don't want to see anymore. That's enough."

Father Time sighed. "You know, there is a specific reason I brought you here, Sasuke. I brought you here to show you this world in which you are not. And to tell you... if you do not return to your home, the same thing may indeed happen again."

Sasuke's eyes snapped back open.

The sage closed his eyes again as the world faded and Sasuke was back in the forest again, the sound of a few more words ringing in his ears with the sudden disappearance of the old man...

"Only you can stop something like that from occurring..."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in determination before spinning on his heel and taking off in a dash...

-----

Breathing heavily from the long distance traveled, Sasuke looked up at the main gate leading into his former home in silence; he was back. It had taken him all night to make it, but here he was. He couldn't let that old guy's prophecy thing come true -- he couldn't let something so terrible befall his friends.

He couldn't let some creep like Goegoe get his foul hands on Sakura, either.

Frowning and stepping inside, Sasuke quickly scanned his eyes around the area. He had to find Sakura, he had to talk to Sakura. Then he would worry about talking to Naruto and the others...

So, taking off into the village he once called his own, Sasuke set out to find his former teammate...

-----

There, in Training Ground #9, sat the pink haired kunoichi that had long ago been his biggest fan girl. Sasuke felt relief sweep over him when he noticed that she seemed to be her normal self, other than that she was off in deep thought. She hadn't even noticed his presence.

But, no gum and no attitude.

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk slightly; he felt genuinely better. He wouldn't know what to think if Sakura would change -- he couldn't imagine a different Sakura...

Approaching closer, he extended a hand as if to reach for her. He parted his lips slightly as if to speak, but before he could say anything, she turned around and met his gaze with her own. An apprehensive hush fell over the training ground.

Soon enough, happy tears filled Sakura's eyes and a warm smile formed on her lips. Standing up from the bench she'd been seated on, she turned to look at her previous companion. Sasuke was speechless.

He hadn't been thinking of what exactly he would say, he was just... froze. He had decided to come back, but now what? Brushing his hesitation aside, Sasuke settled for closing the distance between them and enveloping the emerald eyed girl in a nice hug. Sakura's eyes widened before closing as her smile broadened a bit and she returned his hug.

"Welcome home, Sasuke-kun..."

-----

Nearby, atop a building, Father Time shook his head as he patted the side of his robe and reached up. Taking off his beard, he tossed it to one side to reveal a highly familiar black mask under it.

"Mission complete."

The one an only Hatake Kakashi crinkled his only visible eye into a smile after dropping the Henge no Jutsu, dusting his hands together in success, his heart swelling at the heartwarming sight of his former students below. His invisible smile widened, as he muttered something before turning around to walk back home in hopes of getting some sleep.

"That went better than expected; still, I can't believe Sasuke actually bought the Goegoe bit -- as if I would actually pass someone that incompetent..."**_  
_**

---------- **Owari: The End** ----------_  
_

_**Note:** The 'King Itchy' idea was given by Armor King, and was inspired by a part in Monsters Inc.; also, this story was written because several people(coughs, Sasuke-haters, coughs) seem to think that Naruto would be better without Uchiha Sasuke. So, here's what you get. _

**Disclaimer & Copyright Information:** I do not own Naruto (© Kishimoto Masashi); however, I am the author of this story. If you have comments or suggestions, leave a review or send me an e-mail. Doumo arigatou, for reading my writing!


End file.
